Business news from Ukraine

Corteva Agriscience and Oschadbank expand lending program for Ukrainian agricultural producers

International agricultural research company Corteva Agriscience and state-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) are expanding their partnership lending program to Ukrainian agricultural producers to enable them to purchase the company’s crop protection products on favorable terms, the company’s press service said.

According to the press release, under the terms of this lending program, farmers can purchase sunflower, corn and winter rape seeds of premium genetics of the Pioneer® brand at reduced rates.

Farmers wishing to purchase Corteva plant protection products in the amount of UAH 200 thousand or more can take out a loan with an interest rate of 0.01% per annum in UAH, depending on the repayment schedule, loan term and availability of collateral. There is no loan disbursement fee. The maximum loan term is 12 months. To apply, farmers should contact Corteva representatives in their region.

Borrowers under this program will provide Oschadbank with a simplified list of documents and can expect priority consideration of their application, as well as a shorter time for making a loan decision.

“Launched in February, Corteva’s program of lending at reduced rates for the purchase of Pioneer seeds in partnership with Oschadbank was well received by farmers, so we are pleased to welcome the willingness of our partners to expand the program to give farmers better access to Corteva’s advanced crop protection products,” explained Elena Dunina, Financial Head of Corteva Agriculture in Ukraine, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

“The agricultural sector suffered significant losses during the war. The State Bank considers it its mission to support agrarians and provide them with the most extensive package of opportunities. (…) Thanks to the simple and flexible terms of the Corteva partnership program, agricultural producers can get a loan at reduced rates, replenish working capital and optimize costs,” said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.

The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi village (Poltava region).

In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine waged by Russia.

According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of February 1 this year, Oschadbank ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 369.56 billion) among 63 banks operating in the country.

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Corteva Agriscience increased sales of sunflower seeds by 30%, winter rapeseed by 80%, and pesticides by 13%

Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, increased organic sales of sunflower seeds and winter rapeseed by 30% and 80%, respectively, in 2023 compared to 2022, its press service reports.

According to the press release, despite the reduction of corn acreage in Ukraine due to the military actions, Corteva increased its presence in the farms that continued to grow this legume.

The company’s sales growth was driven by an effective direct model of cooperation with farmers, an extensive network of sales agents and representatives, and comprehensive agronomic support for farmers throughout Ukraine. In addition, Corteva has partnered with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to provide additional rapeseed, corn and sunflower seeds for planting to small Ukrainian farmers in the affected areas, the company said.

Corteva also reported that, despite the overall decline in the crop protection market in Ukraine, the company’s organic sales in 2023 increased by 13% compared to last year. At the same time, the demand for Corteva insecticides doubled compared to 2022.

“Such results reflect the company’s focus on providing farmers with the latest and most advanced products to increase agricultural productivity in Ukraine, as declared in the joint declaration between Corteva Agriculture and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine on deepening and further developing cooperation for food security in Ukraine and the world,” the statement said.

“Almost two years after the start of the full-scale war, we at Corteva have been working side by side with Ukrainian farmers to help them meet the new challenges they face. We have transformed the company’s work in accordance with the current conditions and learned to work in marathon mode. Farmers consider us to be their reliable partners, which is evidenced by the fact that the number of customers remains unchanged despite the overall market contraction. Our team is doing everything possible, demonstrating extraordinary dynamics in 2024,” said Oleksandr Dmytriyev, Corteva Agriscience’s business manager in Ukraine.

As reported, the world’s leading agrochemical company’s operating EBITDA in 2023 increased by 5% year-on-year, while operating profit per share increased by 1% over the same period.

Corteva Agriscience forecasts that in 2024 its net sales will be in the range of $17.4-17.7 billion and operating EBITDA in the range of $3.5-3.7 billion.

Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.

The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubarky (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi (Poltava region).

In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.

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Corteva Agriscience increased exports of corn seeds by 50%

Corteva Agriscience, an international research and development agricultural company, increased corn seed exports by 50% in 2023 compared to the previous year, its press service reports.

According to the press release, during 2023, the company’s seed production complex in Poltava region shipped more than half a million sowing units of Pioneer® corn seeds, which was a record volume for the 10 years of Corteva’s production in Ukraine.

“Russia’s actions against Ukraine’s agricultural sector prove its outstanding role in ensuring food security in many regions of the world. Corteva considers Ukraine to be one of the largest players in the global agricultural market and in recent years has been consistently increasing production and export of high-quality hybrid corn and sunflower seeds to ensure the ability to produce agricultural products in Ukraine and in those countries where farmers depend on seeds produced in our country,” said Oleksiy Turchynov, Head of Seed Production at Corteva Agriculture in Ukraine.

The company also said that it intends to continue developing the production capacity of the seed complex to increase seed exports through established sales channels to the European Union. To this end, the company has reconfigured its export chains and in 2023, farmers in Europe (Austria, France, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia) and Central Asia received Ukrainian corn seeds of the Pioneer® brand.

As reported, the company’s seed complex in Poltava region was officially opened in June 2013. More than $56 million was invested in its construction. The annual capacity of the plant is about 500 thousand sowing units of corn seeds and 250 thousand sowing units of sunflower seeds.

Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.

The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubarky (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi (Poltava region).

In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.

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Corteva Agriscience has expanded corn seed production to 24 hybrids

Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, has increased the number of Pioneer® corn seed hybrids grown on the production fields of the company’s seed complex in Poltava region by 2.6 times to 24, according to a press release.

According to the report, the portfolio of Ukrainian corn seeds in 2024 will include hybrids of the Pioneer Optimum AQUAmax line.

In addition, in 2023, the seed team began growing corn hybrids popular in the European Union markets, as its long-term production strategy in Ukraine is to increase the share of exports to the EU.

The company reminded that in 2022 Corteva increased its exports to the EU 16 times.

In the current season, according to the company, 80% of seed crops were grown on irrigated fields, and 15% of the crops were grown using StripTill technology, which helps to preserve soil moisture and prevent erosion. Precision farming was introduced on more than 80% of the production area. A system of differential crop density was introduced.

“During the 10 years of operation of Corteva’s seed complex in Ukraine, everything has been done to provide farmers with high quality seeds of Ukrainian production. (…) We are convinced that seed production in Ukraine has a great future and Corteva strives to be a leader here,” Oleksiy Turchynov, Head of Production in Ukraine at Corteva Agriscience, was quoted by the press service as saying.

The company’s seed complex in Poltava region was officially opened in June 2013. More than $56 million was invested in its construction. The annual capacity of the plant is about 500 thousand sowing units of corn seeds and 250 thousand sowing units of sunflower seeds.

Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.

The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex opened in 2013 in Stasi village (Poltava region).

In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.

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Corteva Agriscience has increased corn seed exports to EU 16-fold

Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, increased its exports of Pioneer brand corn seed to the EU 16-fold in 2023 through established channels in Romania and Hungary, according to its press release.
According to it, the company was able to achieve a 15 percent increase in yields of Pioneer’s advanced seed hybrids last year through the introduction of precision farming, irrigation and other advanced approaches.
“For ten years we have been developing seed production in Ukraine, because for Corteva Agriscience our country is one of the major players in the global agricultural market, which has a significant impact on global food security,” – quoted the press service of the regional head of seed production Corteva Agriscience Andrey Andriushko.
He said that amid the war the company continues to invest in the production seed complex and support the communities of the region. For example, last year Corteva Agriscience signed a declaration with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine on deepening and further developing cooperation for food security in Ukraine and the world, which resulted in increasing the production capacity of the seed complex in Stasi village, Poltava region, officially opened in June 2013 and investments of over $56 million. Its annual capacity has reached about 500 thousand seed units of corn and 250 thousand seed units.
According to the company, Corteva is one of the largest taxpayers in the region. The total number of employees, including seasonal workers, reaches nearly 400.
According to the press release, Corteva has invested about UAH 4.6 million in the development of Stasi village since 2013 (to improve infrastructure, medicine, education and social life of the community, in particular, it financed the reconstruction of a bomb shelter for 800 people.
Corteva Agriscience is a global agricultural company. It offers agricultural producers comprehensive solutions to maximize crop yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active substances in its portfolio.
Its representative office in Ukraine includes a central office in Kiev, a research center in Lyubartsy village (Kiev region) and a seed production complex opened in 2013 in Stasi village (Poltava region). Investments in the plant over five years amounted to more than $56 mln.
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.

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Corteva Agriscience increased sales in Ukraine by 6.5%

International agricultural research company Corteva Agriscience in the three quarters of 2022 increased sales of seeds and plant protection products (PPP) on the Ukrainian market by 6.5% compared to the same period last year, while its profit increased by 5%.
According to the company representatives during the online event devoted to the results of its work for the nine months of this year, the global revenue of Corteva from sales of seeds and pesticides for this period increased by 16% up to more than $ 14 billion, mainly due to an increase in sales in the segment of innovative technologies.
“The main factors of success in Ukraine were the solid work of the Corteva team, which resumed its activities on March 7 after the full-scale invasion of Russia, and the direct work with Ukrainian agricultural producers, in particular through direct sales of Pioneer brand products, which allowed the company to increase its market share in the seeds segment. This was also due to early sales in the season, which began in September 2021,” – stated in a press release of the agricultural company.
According to it, Ukrainian agricultural producers in the unprecedentedly difficult conditions of the war with Russia need help from major international companies, which is extremely important and should be focused precisely on protecting the interests of Ukraine.
“Adhering to the highest value of safety of human life, Corteva withdrew from the russian and belarusian markets, despite the significant financial losses associated with this decision. We were unable to continue operations in the aggressor country and reorganized the commercial division in Eastern Europe, which is now centered in Ukraine,” Corteva’s Eastern Europe head Sergey Kharin said during an online meeting.
Corteva also specified that since the beginning of the year it has invested $390 thousand in the construction of a mobile corn receiving line and an underground LPG terminal at its seed plant in Stasi, Poltava region, which allows for stable production. To save energy, the company introduced a flexible work schedule with reduced energy consumption during peak hours, shifting some of the work shifts to nighttime, and using industrial diesel generators.
“Although there has been some reduction in corn acreage on our partners’ fields due to military operations, we have been able to achieve a 15% increase in yields of Pioneer seed hybrids through the implementation of precision farming technology on the fields and additional investments. We expect that by the end of the year export of seeds produced at our plant to the EU countries will increase up to 16 times comparing to the last year,” – said the Director of Corteva Agriscience production complex in Ukraine Oleksiy Turchynov.
Besides, since the beginning of the Russian aggression, the company has been actively helping Ukrainian charitable foundations, public organizations and hospitals. During the war Corteva has financed local initiatives to the tune of over 50 million hryvnias.
Corteva Agriscience is a global agricultural company. It offers agricultural producers comprehensive solutions to maximize crop yields and profitability. It has over 150 research facilities and more than 65 active substances in its portfolio.
Its representative office in Ukraine includes a central office in Kiev, a research center in Lyubartsy village (Kiev region) and a seed production complex opened in 2013 in Stasi village (Poltava region). Investments in the plant over five years amounted to more than $56 mln.
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to full-scale armed aggression.